Whenever the name Vincent D’Onofrio is brought up, I immediately think of him as this deep, serious actor who is sophisticated and refuses to play the Hollywood game. Besides his regular role on “CSI: Criminal Intent,” he always seems to play these sort of off-the-wall characters that are immediately memorable.
The actor’s directorial debut, “Don’t Go in the Woods,” has hit theaters. It’s a sort of slasher/horror film mixed with musical numbers. It’s not exactly what I pictured D’Onofrio heading up his first time behind the camera of a full-length film. How have critics and audiences responded?
Reviewers aren’t impressed with “Don’t Go in the Woods.” Nick Pinkerton of the Village Voice reported, “Dwarfed by the baroque camp of Brian De Palma’s horror musical ‘Phantom of the Paradise,’ ‘Don’t Go in the Woods’ is cozily resigned to its novelty niche but an affront to fans of the genres it bowdlerizes.”
The New York Times’ David DeWitt wrote, “‘Don’t Go in the Woods’ would be ideal for a 3 a.m. slot on MTV … a couple of decades ago.” Michelle Orange of Movieline stated, “Outside of the proxy satisfaction it will give those who are dying to see the grim reaper let loose on the set of a very special episode of ‘Glee,’ the pleasures of ‘Don’t Go in the Woods’ can’t quite compensate for its straggly bits.”
I could only find one positive review of “Don’t Go in the Woods.” Dustin Putman declared, “Horror and musical lovers unite, have I got a movie for you! The film is smartly never treated as a joke. The music and tone are too effective and sincere for that. As far as low-budget horror goes, ‘Don’t Go in the Woods’ is made in grand spirits and with undeniable know-how. It’s conventional and truly one-of-a-kind all at once. There’s nothing else out there like it.”
Most moviegoers were greatly disappointed in D’Onofrio’s first effort behind the camera. Kyle O. called it a “Horrid, horrid movie … already the worst of 2012. If a movie comes out that is worse than this movie, then maybe the world IS ending this year.” Ailynn S. declared, “This film totally blows … I wish someone would just hurry up and kill them all! Terrible, Horrible, Disappointing, Stupid. I don’t even want to call it a movie, just a true time waster!” Kroor K. related, “Horrid acting … horrible songs … horrible singing … not to mention the all-around horrible atrocious story/plot. This move has zero redeeming qualities. Someone while in mid attack breaks out into song! Seriously! Stay away!”
A select few audience members found something redeeming about “Don’t Go in the Woods.” Lily N. commented, “A rare addition to Horror Musicals. If you like camp and you’re not afraid of watching a few skulls get crushed in like watermelons stuffed with Spaghettios, give it a try.” Chicago P. declared, “I think it’s a wonderful indie musical … as well as a pretty scary slasher film. The combination of music and horror creates a psychological mind trip that gets more and more disturbing as the music gets more intense and the bodies start to pile up.” Ruby C. said it had “fresh ideas and [a] sly sense of humor melded into a thoroughly enjoyable, if violent, evening of entertainment. Tell your friends. Pass it on.”
“Don’t Go in the Woods” stars Bo Boddie, Eric Bogosian, Gwynn Galitzer, Jorgen Jorgenson, and Tim Lajcik. The movie is unrated but features violence, language, and sexual content. It was released in limited theaters on January 13, 2012.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
January 14: Audiences Couldn’t Escape ‘The Dunwich Horror’
‘Annotated Sherlock Holmes’ Expert Leslie S. Klinger Talks About Being a Film Consultant
‘A Clockwork Orange’ Hits United States in January 1971
Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.
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